You don’t need a chemistry degree to discover if your favorite makeup contains these hazardous ingredients. Read the labels and pass over products that contain one or more of these toxins.

Synthetic colors – LIsted on cosmetic labels as FD&C; or D&C;, these colors are found in most conventional color cosmetics. All are potential carcinogens.

Talc – Loose powders, blushes, and eye shadows can contain up to 50 percent talc, a mineral that has been linked to respiratory damage.

Dibutyl phthalate – Found in nail polish and moisturizers, this hormone-disrupting chemical accumulates in the body’s fatty tissue and can cause reproductive damage.

Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives – Because formaldehyde is a suspected carcinogen that can also cause irritation and allergic reactions, avoid preservatives such as DMDM hydantoin quaternium-15, and diazonlidnyl urea, which release formaldehyde as they degrade.

Parabens – Butyl-, ethyl-, methyl-, and propyl-parabens mimic estrogen and may result in reproductive damage, according to recent studies.